Wire-reeling machine.



No. 696,727. Patented Apr. I, l9l2. W. 0. DUNLAP.

WIRE REELING MACHINE.

(Application filed Apr. 30, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(mi Model.)

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Patented Apr. I, |902. W. 0. DUNLAP. WIRE BEELING MACHINE.

(Application filed Apr. 30` 1901.)

' 2 sheets shet 2.

(No Model.)

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VILLIAM OOY DUNLAP, OF PORTALES, TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO.

vwl-aannemers MACHINE..

SELEQIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,727, dated April1, 1902.

Application filed April 30,1901. Serial No. 58,167. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM OcY DUNLAP, a citizen of the United States,residing at Portales, in the county of Chaves and Territory of NewMexico, have invented a new and useful Wire-Reeling Machine, of whichthe following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in wire-reeling machines.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofwire-reeling machines and to provide a simple and comparativelyinexpensive one designed for unreeling and laying out wire for fenceconstruction and for rewindingfence-wire upon spools when taking downfences and capable of simultaneously reeling two ormore Wires and ofarranging the same uniformly on the spools.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of thischaracter adapted also for stretching fence-wires and capable of holdingthe same at the desired tension while the fence-wires are being stapledor otherwise secured to a fence-post.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended. j

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view o a wire-reeling machineconstructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an end elevation. Fig. el is atransverse sectional View on the line L1 el of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is atransverse sectional view illustrating the construction for uniformlyfeeding the wire to the spools. Fig. 6 is a detail view of thestationary guides. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of one of theblades or ianges for.

preventing the wheels from slipping.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in alltheiigures of the drawings.

l designates a main frame, rectangular in plan view, designed to form aportion of a running-gear and provided with a bottom or ioor 2, forminga platform for the operator and permitting him to readily pass from oneend of the wire-reeling machine to the other. The frame is mounted uponfront and rear wheels 3 and et, which are arranged on the spindles offront and rear axles 5 and 6, the front axle being pivotally mounted inthe usual manner by means of a king-bolt and being connected with atongue or other suitable means for connecting the draft-animals to themachine. Mounted upon the main frame at a point between the ends thereofis a transverse spool-shaft 7 journaled in suitable bearings S of thesides of the main frame and adapted to receive one or more spools 9 forrewinding fence-wire on the same. The transverse spool-shaft isillustrated in the acm companying drawings as extending only from oneside of the frame for convenience of illusn tration; but it will bereadily apparent that it may be extended from each side of the frame toincrease its capacity, and the mechn anism hereinafter described foroperating the spool-shaft and for guiding the wire to the same may beduplicated. The shaft 7 is held against longitudinal movement by meansof a pair of collars 10, provided with set-screws y11 and arranged atthe inner sides of the bearings, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

The spool, which may be of any desired construction, is detachablylocked to the shaft by means of clamps 12 and 18, consisting of blocksor pieces provided with laterally-projecting lugs 14 and 15, and securedtol the shaftby set-screws 16 and 17. The clamps areprovided withcentral perforations for the reception of the shaft, and the set-screwsengage the latter and hold the clamps rigid with the same. Thelaterally-projecting lugs of the clamps extend inward over the adjacentside edges of the arms of the spool, and the outer clamp 13 may bereadily removed to permit a spool or spools to be taken off or placed onthe shaft.

1 The transverse spool-shaft is driven by sprocket-gearing consisting ofa pinion 18, mounted on the shaft, a sprocket-Wheel 19, secured to oneof the rear wheels Ll, and a sprocket-chain 20, arranged onl thesprocketpinion and the sprocketwheel, as clearly illus trated in Fig. 2of the accompanying drawings. A

In order to preventv the wheels 4` from slipping, they may be providedat intervals with blades or anges 21, having sides 22, adapted to engagethe sidesof the wheels at the peripheries thereof and connected at theinner roo yIO

ends of the sides 22 by suitable adjusting devices, such as bolts 22CEach of the devices for preventing the wheels from slipping isapproximately U-shaped and is adapted to straddle the rims of thewheels, and the projecting outer portions are oppositely beveled and areadapted to enable the wheels to obtain a firm hold on the ground. Whenonly one set of sprocket-gearing is employed, only one of the rearwheels will be provided with the blades or lianges; but when suchgearing is duplicated both of the wheels will be constructed as shown inFig. 3.

The chain may be tightened by a lever 23, fulcrumed at its lower end onone side of the main frame and provided at Aits upper end with a handleand carrying a pulley 24. The lever may be provided with a weight 25,and it is adapted to be swung upward to tighten the chain. It may beheld in its engaging position by hand, or any other suitable means maybe employed for this purpose, and the weight is adapted to swing thelever downward to relieve the chain of pressure.

The wire passes through stationary guides 26, consisting ofapproximately U-shaped loops depending from a horizontal bar 27 andlocated in advance of the spool-shaft. The stationary guides, which areconstructed of suitable metal, are of approximately the same width asthe spools, and they are secured to the lower face of the horizontal bar27. The har 27 is'mounted on and extends laterally from the main frame.

The wire, which may be smooth or barbed, is distributed evenly to thespools by means of movable guides consisting of levers 28, fulcrumedbetween their ends by suitable pivots 29 on ahorizontal bar 30 andextendingabove and below the same. The lower ends of the levers 28 areprovided with liared openings 3l to receive the wire, and their upperends are connected by a rod 32 with an operatinglever 33, fulcrumed atits lower en'd 34 on the bar 30 and provided at its upper end with asuitable grip or handle. The operating-lever is arranged at the front ofthe machine and is adapted to be grasped by the operator, and it willnot interfere with his management of the team, and it is capable ofbeing oscillated to oscillate the movable wire-guides and to distributethe wire uniformly. The openings 3l, which receive the fence-wire, areflared at the front faces of the movable guides and are adapted topermit barbed wire to pass freely through them.

The main frameis provided at its back with a transversely-disposedspool-frame 35, depending from the side bars of the main frame andprovided with a series of vertical spindles 36, adapted to receivespools, as clearly shown in the accompanying drawings, and whenit isdesired to lay out the wire for fence construction full spools areplaced in the frame 35, and the ends of the wire are suitably anchored,so that when the machine is driven forward the wire will be unwound fromthe spools.

Located above the transversely-disposed depending spool-frame is awindlass-shaft 37, journaled in suitable bearings and provided at oneend with a crank-handle 38. The windlass-shaft is provided with a shortrope or cable 39, having a suitable wire-engaging device 40 at its outerend and secured at its inner end to an arm 4l of the shaft. The arm 4lof the shaft is preferably provided with a hub which is secured to thesaid shaft 37 by a set-screw or other suitable device, and when thewindlass-shaft 37 is rotated the short flexible connection 39 will bewound up, whereby a fence-wire attached to the outer end of theconnection will be stretched. The windlass-shaft is held againstrotation while a fence-wire is being stapled or otherwise secured to afence-post by means of a pawl 42 and a ratchet-wheel 43. Theratchetwheel is mounted on the shaft at one side of the frame, and thepawl is pivoted to the latter adjacent to the ratchetwheel. Theratchet-wheel is arranged at one side of the frame, and thewindlass-shaft is provided at the other side of the frame with anadjustable collar 44, having a set-screw adapted to engage the shaft. Bythis construction the windlass-shaft is held against longitudinalmovement. The depending frame 35, which may be constructed in anysuitable manner, is supported by side braces 45, arranged at aninclination and extending from the bottom of the spool-frame to the sidebars of the main frame.

It will be seen that the Wire-reeling niachine is exceedingly simple andinexpensive in construction, that it is adapted for rewinding wire onspools when removing fences, and that it is capable of unwinding thewire from a series of spools for fence-building. It will also beapparent that it is adapted to stretch wire to the desired tension andis capable of holding the same while the fence-wire is being secured toa fence-post. Furthermore, it will be clear that in rewinding the wirethe machine travels in the direction of the wire or wires and that itmoves in the opposite direction in paying out wires for fenceconstruction.

What I claim ifs- 1. A machine of the class described comprising arunning-gear havinga frame, a shaft extending laterally from theframeand located in advance of the rear wheels and adapted to receive spools,gearing for connecting the shaft with one of the rear wheels, the bar 27located in advance of the shaft and provided with' dependingapproximately U- shaped guides, the bar 30 arranged at the front of theframe and extending laterally therefrom in advance of the said bar 27,the levers 28 pivoted between their ends to the bar 30 and extendingabove and below the same and provided at their lower ends with IOOopenings, the operating-lever arranged between the sides of the frameand fulcrumed at its lower end, and the rod 32 connected I5 with theupper ends of the levers 28 and with the operating lever, substantiallyas described.v

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aftxedmy signature in zo the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM ooY DUNLAI'.

Witnesses: 4

CLAUDE BARNES, HENRY F. SToLDT.

